In a turret type of labeling machine such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,709 and incorporated herein by reference, containers are supplied continuously to a rotating turret; each container, in turn, is clamped between an upper chuck and a lower chuck carried by the turret; the container, so clamped, is rotated orbitally about the central shaft of the turret to a label pick up station where it contacts the leading edge of a label carried by a label transport such as a rotating vacuum drum; the label is released from the vacuum drum and is wrapped around a container as the container is caused to spin about its axis; and with a label wrapped around, it is transported by the turret to a container release station where the labeled container is released from the turret. In this operation, it is necessary to rotate each container clamped between a pair of chucks orbitally about the axis of the turret and it is necessary to spin the container about its own axis to wrap a label about it. Other labeling machines are known, such as for example, that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,167 entitled "Labeling Machine" which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,709 the spinning of the container is achieved by, for example, a wheel fixed to and coaxial with the upper member of a pair of chucks and a pad which is concentric to the turret axis. The contact between this wheel and pad causes the respective chuck, and with it the container, to spin.
This means of spinning the containers is quite effective but is limited in many ways. For example, the container can spin in only one direction and its speed is fixed by the speed of the turret and by the radius of the wheel and the pad. Also, this method of spinning the container to wrap the label may be ineffective for containers having generally noncircular cross sections.
The invention also relates to the application of stretch labels to containers and other articles. It is common practice to apply labels to containers and other articles by supplying a continuous length of label material from a roll, cutting it into suitable lengths which are transferred to a rotating vacuum drum which picks up each label in turn on its cylindrical surface by means of vacuum and transports each label to a label applying station where it is wrapped around a container. For the purpose of adhering the label to the container, glue is applied to the container and/or to the label, usually the latter, at its leading end and at its trailing end. An adhesive may be formed in situ by the use of a solvent. Also heat sealing of the overlap between the trailing end of the label of the leading end of the label may be employed.
Hereinbelow for convenience the term "label" or "labels" and the term "container" will be used, but it is to be understood that other segments of sheet material may be applied, e.g., for decorative purposes, identification bands, tamper evident strips, etc. and that other articles than containers may have labels or other segments of sheet material applied to them.
Such label application to containers may be carried out with a stack of precut labels rather than severing labels from a continuous length of label material.
Representative patents relating to such label application are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,108,709; 4,108,710; 4,500,386; 5,091,040; 5,137,596 and 5,269,864. Such label application may also be carried out and is often carried out with a heat shrinkable label material which, after application to the container, is subjected to heat to cause it to shrink, e.g., into a recessed area of a container or onto contoured portions such as the neck or shoulder of a container. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,173 such heat shrink labeling is illustrated by application of a label to a container having a cylindrical body above and below which are portions of the container which are of lesser diameter. The heat shrinking shrinks the label onto such areas of lesser diameter.
An alternative to such heat shrinking/contour labeling is the application of stretchable labels, which are stretched before application and which, after application, contract and closely adhere to the recessed and/or contoured portions of the container. An example of such stretch labeling and the method and machinery for accomplishing it is provided by Automatic Label Systems of Twinsburg, Ohio, who supply what are called "Auto-Sleeve.RTM. stretch sleeve labels." The Auto-Sleeve.RTM. labels are first formed into sleeves. The sleeves have a diameter less than the maximum diameter of the container to which they are to be fitted and the sleeve is stretch fitted over the container and when so applied it contracts and relaxes to fit the container tightly. This method avoids the need to use glue, heat or solvent to adhere the label to containers and it avoids the need to heat the label on containers to shrink the label material onto the container.
However that method requires first forming the stretch label material into a sleeve, then fitting the sleeve over the container. Other than in sleeve technology, the stretching of labels has heretofore been avoided or minimized.
Providing braille characters, icons, or other tactilely sensible indicia on containers allows visually impaired persons to ascertain the contents of packages or containers. Conventional containers have been developed which have a braille or indicia molded therein as part of the container manufacturing process. In addition, the indicia may be directly stamped on the container.
Applying braille markings at the time of printing presents problems due to the difficulties that would be encountered at the point of application. Cut and stacked labels having braille or indicia have a tendency toto nest and thus stick together as each label is pulled out consecutively one at a time during application of the labels to the container or article. In the case of a continuous roll having braille or other indicia, the roll itself would be lop-sided due to the indicia. Such a roll would then encounter difficulties during such process as precision winding and/or unwinding. The problem may be particularly acute when the indicia are formed on stretchable label material.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method and apparatus for applying tactilely recognizable indicia to containers at production speeds which overcome the deficiencies of prior known methods and apparatus for applying such indicia to containers or articles.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more versatile means of operating such a turret type of labeling machine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for applying braille indicia to labels at productions speeds.
It is a further object to provide a method and apparatus wherein a continuous roll of label material is marked with TACTILELY sensible indicia with labels being cut from the roll and applied to the containers.
It is yet another object to use an adhesive applying apparatus to apply glue droplets in a controlled and predetermined pattern on the surface or reverse side of a label to produce tactilely sensible indicia.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and machinery which will apply stretch labels in sheet form, as for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,500,386 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,709, and to apply the labels in stretched condition without the need to preform a sleeve.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide computer control and synchronization of the label handling apparatus to achieve the afore described labeling objectives.